What are all those holes for..?

A few more changes have taken place since yesterday morning. More of the brick pillars from the central section of the pool have been removed and the first of the rising steels has been put in place, giving some idea of the huge difference between the old rake and the new one in terms of providing visibility over the heads of the rows in front. We should get a really good idea of the overall structure this time tomorrow. The time consuming bit will come once the steel framework is finished. Each of the crosspieces holds the joists for the new floor. These will all need to be bolted in place – not just a couple of bolts, for as the photo shows, there are eight boltholes at every junction!

Meanwhile, after two rather trying hours of working out how to do it, the new seating plan has been installed on the box office computer and fully tested ready to start selling tickets in June. The wooden screen in the front of house lounge is being lovingly restored following its dip in the floodwaters and the new kitchen is being plumbed in. The repairs to the cellar have also been finished, so we shall soon be receiving another visit from Robin Shapero to seal up the hatch and make the theatre watertight.